Multiple Sclerosis: A Chronic Mycotoxicosis?

[Guest guest]

08/07/2003

Multiple Sclerosis: A Chronic

Mycotoxicosis?

by Holland, MD

(Dr. Dave Holland is the co-author, with Doug Kaufmann, of the new

book, "The Fungus Link, Volume 2." Inside this follow-up to their book

Fungus Link , you'll not only learn about the dangers of antibiotics.

You'll also learn about the ins and outs of natural and prescriptive

antifungals. Additionally, Doug and Dave share with you the role fungi

and their mycotoxins play in what are unfortunately everyday diseases

such as prostatitis, ear-nose-throat disorders, weight problems

(including obesity and anorexia), autoimmune diseases, hormonal

disorders, neurologic diseases, hair loss, and eye problems.

To order either of these books, call 972-772-0990, M-F 8:00 AM to

5:00 PM Central.

The National Multiple Sclerosis Society, one of several non-profit

organizations dealing with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) research funding and

patient assistance, raised almost $74 million dollars in the fiscal

year 2001. It spent $64 million, of which $54.8 million went toward

program expenses, and $6.6 million was directed at fundraising efforts.

Two million goes toward administrative costs. The CEO alone makes over

$300,000. (1)

Still, in the 57 years of the society’s existence, no cause for MS has

been assigned. I use the word “assigned and not found, because I

believe a cause has already been found. In our book, The Fungus Link,

Volume 2, Doug Kaufmann and I discuss the role of fungal toxins, called

mycotoxins, in the etiology of MS. The evidence brought forth by

various scientists over the years and compiled in a small section of

this book is quite compelling. It is so compelling that, at this point,

I believe scientists will be forced into a position of proving that

mycotoxins are NOT the cause of MS, a task at which, I believe, they

shall not succeed.

MS is characterized by destruction of the protective sheath- called the

myelin sheath- around nerves in the brain and the spinal cord. As a

result, the transmission of nerve impulses to other nerves, muscles,

and vital organs is interrupted. This impaired nerve function

translates into symptoms such as difficulty in walking, abnormal, pins

and needles sensations throughout the body; pain and loss of vision due

to inflammation of the optic nerve, tremors, incoordination, paralysis,

and impaired thinking and memory (2). In addition, muscle wasting,

bladder dysfunction, fatigue, osteoporosis, and a host of other

problems may develop either directly or indirectly due to this nerve

damage.

Although there is a genetic predisposition toward MS, as proven in

studies of twins, only a third of those that are genetically

susceptible will get MS, indicating there is still an outside factor

involved (3). MS is more common in those born and raised above the 37th

parallel (a line extending from Newport News, VA to Santa Cruz, CA);

however, if a person moves to an area of low risk (i.e. below the 40th

parallel) prior to adolescence, they assume the lower risk of their new

location. These last points support the idea of an environmental

exposure link to the disease.

If outside causes are to blame, then Oppenheim, an early 1900’s

researcher, was the closest in his assertion that MS is caused by an

environmental toxin. Other researchers of his day thought that there

was a defect in the blood vessels or in the glial tissues. Pierre

Marie, in the late 1800’s, felt that MS was caused by an infectious

agent. However, despite all of the infection theories that have been

tested over the past 150 plus years, not one- whether bacteria, virus,

Chlamydia or scrapie-like agent- has proven to be the culprit.

So, let’s apply what we already know about MS and see if we truly know

the cause of MS or not. Mycotoxins are chemicals made by fungi. They

are found in grains that have been contaminated with fungi and mold.

Some mycotoxins are used for medicinal purposes. Antibiotics, such as

penicillin and the cephalosporin drugs, are fungal metabolites- they

are mycotoxins. Alcohol is a mycotoxin. Aflatoxin, the most

carcinogenic substance on earth, is a mycotoxin. The most commonly

contaminated crops are peanuts, corn, and wheat.

Often, other foods such as barley, apples, sorghum and rye can be

contaminated as well. Some mycotoxins are produced in our body by the

yeast in our intestines or vaginal tract. In one study, 3 women

severely symptomatic for vaginal candidiasis were found to have vaginal

fluid samples with significant levels of a mycotoxin called gliotoxin

(4). From our environment, we can be exposed to mycotoxins through

countless routes: ingestion, inhalation, skin contact, etc. The

question is, once inside the body, can these mycotoxins damage nerves?

Let’s answer that question now.

We already know that, in MS, there is a loss of molecules called

sphingolipids from the white matter in the central nervous system (5).

What is not well known is the fact that mycotoxins can actually disrupt

sphingolipid biosynthesis (6). Specifically, gliotoxin, as we mentioned

above, on a slightly larger scale can induce nerve cell death

(apoptosis).

Gliotoxin is a heat stable chemical made by Aspergillus, Candida, and

other species of fungi. (7). Not coincidentally, scientists have

recovered a heat stable toxin from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of MS

patients. In this particular study, they took the CSF from MS patients,

heat-treated it to destroy any infectious germs, and then exposed it to

nerve cells in a laboratory culture. What happened? The nerve cells

died! They called this heat-stable toxin gliotoxin.

The source of gliotoxin appears to be, again, primarily from the yeast

and fungi within the human body. As such, gliotoxin is less important

as an agricultural scourge than are other mycotoxins such as

fumonisins, made by Fusarium and Aspergillus fungi, and the penetrim D

toxin made by Penicillium crustosum. Fumonisins are a group of

mycotoxins that happen to be neurotoxic as well as carcinogenic. They

are universally present in corn and corn-based products. (8). Penitrem

mycotoxins are found in things such as moldy apple products. Penetrem D

can cause tremors, convulsions, limb weakness, and ataxis (unsteady

gait), not unlike the symptoms observed in MS.(9).

As there are different classes of MS (chronic progressive,

relapsing-remitting, etc.) it may very well be that the different

classes are being caused by different classes of mycotoxins. In

addition, the regional differences in the prevalence of MS might be

explained by the particular agricultural products that dominate the

most affected areas. For example, the part of America that lies above

the 37th parallel also happens to encompass the cornbelt. Remember that

corn is universally contaminated with mycotoxins (7). This area is also

represented by much of the wheat belt. Is this just a coincidence, or

good evidence of an environmental exposure risk factor?

Let’s talk about some of the latest treatments for MS. Dr. Mercola has

already stated in a previous article that most MS drugs are a waste of

money (10). The new buzz on the town, however, is that statin drugs

(cholesterol-lowering drugs) have proven effective in slowing the

progression of MS (11-13). Their effectiveness should not surprise us,

in light of the fungal/mycotoxin theory, when we also learn that statin

drugs are antifungal (14).

Dr. Mercola has also mentioned in previous articles that Vitamin D as

well as plain old sunlight can reduce mortality from and positively

influence the immune system in MS (15,16). Other researchers have

explained that the reason why these work is, once again, Vitamin D,

whether taken in the form of a cod liver oil supplement or made

naturally by our body from sunlight exposure, is anti-mycotoxin (14).

Finally, let’s talk about diet again. Last year a German researcher

claimed that eating smoked sausage in childhood was responsible for

causing multiple sclerosis later in life. (16). Dr. A.V. Costantini,

retired head of the World Health Organization’s collaborating center

for mycotoxins in food, helps us out here by explaining that smoked and

aged meats are often contaminated with mycotoxins (18). Thus the cause

of MS, according to these and other researchers, is right in our food.

In another of Dr. Mercola’s articles, he talked about how starving mice

with an MS-like condition resulted in fewer symptoms and decreased

progression of the illness (19). Why does starvation work? In our

humbled opinion, it could be as simple as: the fewer foods taken in,

the fewer mycotoxins that enter the body. You see, if we are following

the standard, food pyramid, grain based American diet, we are consuming

on average from 0.15 to 0.5mg of aflatoxin per day (8). Aflatoxin is

the only regulated mycotoxin in America, so what level of exposure we

have to the other, known mycotoxins in our diet that we’ve discussed is

a guess, at best. So starvation diets not only deprive us of calories.

They also deprive us of disease-causing, carcinogenic mycotoxins.

If indeed mycotoxins cause MS, then there are a number of steps one

must take to minimize exposure to fungi and their mycotoxins. We just

finished talking about diet. Since mycotoxins are commonly found in

grain foods (7,8), then it would be wise to minimize grains in our

diet. Doug Kaufmann outlines his Initial Phase diet in our book, The

Fungus Link, Volume 2. As well, Dr. Mercola has published his book, The

No-Grain Diet, which offers equally valuable information. Secondly, we

should minimize our exposure to antibiotics.

Antibiotics are, for the most part, derived from fungi and are

therefore classified as mycotoxins. If we’ve taken lots of antibiotics

in the past, we should attempt to correct the damage done by these by

taking a good probiotic supplement. Lastly, if we have any obvious

signs of fungal infection in our body, and to us, simply having MS

might qualify as an obvious sign, it might behoove us to take natural

or prescriptive antifungals for a period of time. Remember that

gliotoxin can be made by fungi and yeast that are already in the body,

not necessarily by fungi that reside in contaminated foods.

Doug and I hope that we’ve given you some insight to this mysterious

disease of MS. It seems, according to the research we’ve pointed to,

that the cause for this disease is right before our eyes. Now, we just

need to apply this knowledge. Future

research should be directed at treating the disease as if it were

caused by fungi and their devastating mycotoxins.